


everything will be alright

by ItsBrayBabey



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: "im not a child!" connor says acting like a child, A lot - Freeform, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxious Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Autistic Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Connor (Detroit: Become Human) is Bad at Feelings, Connor Deserves Happiness, Connor is Messy, Crack Treated Seriously, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Good Dog Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), He’s trying his best, I did this, Instead of sleeping, Literally everyone here is a disaster, M/M, Markus and North broke up, Millennial Hank Anderson, North is a BRO, Save Me, The author is unhealthily attached to Connor, Why do I do this, a lot more anxiety, and i also went more into the hopeless pining nerds aspect, and i didnt truly delve into That Gay Shit™, and it shows, and now its sunday, bc it was gross, because y'all really like ignoring my mans, but It’s ok, but he's autistic, but less moodiness and more anxiety, connor does the most, connor is a disaster, connor is a shitposter, connor is a shut in Whoops, connor is an anxious mess, connor is autistic!, connor is basically a moody teenager, connor is crabby, connor says the fuck word, connor swears the most out of all the androids in canon and yall need to let my boy say fuck!, connor’s main skill is snark and he’s working on the rest, how did i manage to make this angsty, i had to completely delete the first version of the second chapter, i never mention it directly, it only happens in the second chapter n you can just pretend it never happens if you wanna, its almost 6 AM, josh actually exists in this story??, josh is honestly done with markus' shit, markus is doing amazing, markus is extra, no beta we die like men, simon is a bro, so i had to fix that, so thats a thing, someone had to say it!, sorry not sorry yall, the connor/markus is pretty skippable tbh, they're pals tho, this took me hours to make lmao, this whole story was an excuse to put connor in a crab costume and dress hank like mr krabs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-05 06:51:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16362989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsBrayBabey/pseuds/ItsBrayBabey
Summary: Markus’ stance on Connor was undefined. He was aware that The Deviant Hunter couldn’t be trusted, of course. He’d been informed by Josh prior to his speech that Connor had almost pulled a gun on him, only to put it away shortly after. This was a topic of controversy within the android community and they had yet to reach an explanation, all of them only being able to agree that Connor was someone you should tread lightly around. However, that was implying that anyone would actually see him after the speech.After the speech, Connor seemed to have disappeared from the face of the Earth. He didn’t respond to the press about his Cyberlife tower infiltration, he didn’t interact with Jericho whatsoever, and he was generally feared by the android community.This is why he didn’t expect to find said Deviant Hunter in a Halloween shop when he went out with Josh. He was repeatedly activating a cackling animatronic witch holding a fake cat over a cauldron. Connor was snorting out laughter along with an unknown human with gray hair as if it was the funniest thing in the world. Amidst the Deviant Hunter’s giggling, the android was heard saying something along the lines of “big ass mood”, whatever that meant.





	1. humans are weird

It was October of year 2039 and the revolution was successful. The androids lived peacefully under Markus in New Jericho as he negotiated with the humans to place his demands.

Said humans were busting the androids’ asses during their struggle for equal rights and Markus was getting tired of it.

A common thought with the humans Markus had to deal with was that androids were some sort of hive mind with the same thoughts and goals; “This android murdered their previous owners? Well, why didn’t you do something about it, O Glorious Messiah? Do they stand for your values as well?”

They didn’t seem to understand the absolute hell Markus went through to keep their revolution peaceful, how much time he spent wondering if these asshole humans were really deserving of it after killing so many of their people. His only motivation for stopping unneeded human injury was his father, Carl, who reminded him that even though the majority of humans he talked to were some of the most unpleasant people he’d ever dealt with, there were still some good ones out there. Carl was the only intelligence in the sea of humans asking why he doesn’t just do the “mind control thingamajig” so the androids stop being violent.

He wasn’t sure if the humans he spoke to were aware of what free will was, but he was sure of one thing: humans didn’t create a superior life-form for no reason. rA9 knows they’d have to at some point with the “logic” the humans have been trying to undermine the android cause with.

Of course, Markus would never actually voice any of these thoughts. He’d smile and wave at human reporters as he closed out constant pop-ups in his mind listing each and every way he could knock them out.

After a long day of getting invasive questions from strangers, he strode into new Jericho, shoulders sagging due to mental fatigue and holding back from sighing every couple of seconds.

As soon as he stepped into his office, he was greeted by North and Simon having cheerful conversation on his desk, only to come to a complete halt as soon as he walked in.

They both looked as if they were going to smile at him, only to stop midway to reveal scrutinizing expressions.

“You look like shit.” North said bluntly, raising her eyebrow at the sight of him. “What’d they ask this time?”

Markus opened his mouth to deny and say he looked just fine, only for Simon to shoot him A Look™, letting him know that there was no point.

Markus huffed and took a seat between the two of them, resting his head on Simon’s shoulder.

“The list never ends,” Markus closed his eyes, exasperation clear on his face. “but it’s less about the humans this time.”

“You okay?” Simon glanced down at him, a subtle expression of worry on his face.

“I just need to relax, I feel like I could explode at any moment.” Markus dramatically flopped onto both North and Simon, prompting a scoff from North and a soft chuckle from Simon.

“Well, lucky you, there’s some human holiday coming up,” North suggested, resting a hand on his calf. “you can do whatever it is they’re doing and say it was a holiday break.”

Markus’ eyes opened as he glanced up at her.

“Surprisingly, I forgot about Halloween entirely.”

“I’m not sure how, the humans never stop talking about it,” Simon stated. “there’s a bunch of humans online posting skeleton pictures every year, they’ve been talking about things getting ‘spooky’ since October started.”

“I’ve seen it too, actually.” North replied. “It’s kinda terrifying, if you look a while back, you see that they’ve been doing it for years.”

“Humans are fucking weird.” Markus declared.

Simon and North silently agreed.

 

-

 

Being only 6 months old, Connor was clueless to the existence of Halloween. Being who he is, he was too busy moping around Hank’s house to even note its existence.

As it turns out, with emotions, he was granted with the knowledge that he was socially inept, debilitatingly anxious, and had no clue what the fuck he was doing.

If he had a say in the matter, he’d refund his deviancy immediately and go back to sitting in a Cyberlife closet.

At the moment, he was reduced to posting shitty memes online from Hank’s computer, researching random interests he gained throughout the months, and coddling Sumo nonstop in an attempt to distract himself from the fact that at some point, he’d need to actually go outside for something other than taking the dog on a walk once a month in Hank’s place. You know, like a normal, functioning human being would.

Of course, Connor wasn’t human and therefore he could do whatever the hell he wanted.

Hank saw things differently.

The android’s eyes snapped over when he heard the door open, hissing like a feral cat as Hank turned the lights on.

If Connor had a say in the matter, he’d _definitely_ take back deviancy, if only it’d give him an escape from his asshole, obnoxious human dad interrupting him while he was in the middle of making some _very important shitposts_.

He’d die for Hank without hesitation if the situation called for it.

“What have you become?” Muttered Hank from the doorframe, which was honestly incredibly rude and uncalled for. Connor was doing perfectly fine as a shut in, thank you very much.

“An honorable android worthy of the utmost praise.” Connor answered honestly, not hesitating for a second.

“Step your pussy up, honey. Get a job.”

“Androids have no need for jobs, not to mention that it is currently illegal to hire us. “ Connor informed.  
Of course, androids had nowhere to spend the money anyways. They mostly waste all of their financial reparations on luxuries, considering that they don’t need anything but thirium to survive.  
  
“You’re gonna need one eventually,” Hank snorted. “I’m not gonna be the one to buy you a Halloween costume every year, you’re a grown ass man.”

“Well, I _am_ 6 months old.”

“You only pull that shit when it’s convenient to you.” Hank scoffed. “When I asked if you needed me to come with you to walk Sumo, you started spouting shit about how you were an adult."

“Can I take that back?” Connor asked meekly, already knowing the answer.

Hank gave him a sarcastic smile.

“Bitch, you thought.” Hank held up his car keys that rested in his arm that he hid behind the doorframe. “We’re goin’ shopping.”

“Do I have any say on whether or not I go at least?”

“Hell no. I already know the answer and I’m not raising a 24/7 shut-in.”

Connor groaned in a manner that, in hindsight, appeared to be reinforcing his status as an absolute fucking child. Considering that he was programmed to be an adult, he’d probably have to work on that.

“Why can’t we just go costume shopping online?” Connor pouted, getting up from his seat as slowly as possible and trudging his way over to Hank as they walked to the front door.

“I mostly needed an excuse to get you out of the house, but I guess it’s also because you need the Halloween shopping experience.” Hank explained as they stepped outside and into the car, starting the car.

“Humans are incredibly inefficient.”

Hank agreed.

 

-

 

Markus’ stance on Connor was undefined. He was aware that The Deviant Hunter couldn’t be trusted, of course. He’d been informed by Josh prior to his speech that Connor had almost pulled a gun on him, only to put it away shortly after. This was a topic of controversy within the android community and they had yet to reach an explanation, all of them only being able to agree that Connor was someone you should tread lightly around. However, that was implying that anyone would actually see him after the speech. They did not.

After the speech, Connor seemed to have disappeared from the face of the Earth. He didn’t respond to the press about his Cyberlife tower infiltration, he didn’t interact with Jericho whatsoever, and he was generally feared by the android community.

This is why he didn’t expect to find said Deviant Hunter in a Halloween shop when he went out with Josh. He was repeatedly activating a cackling animatronic witch holding a fake cat over a cauldron. Connor was snorting out laughter along with an unknown human with gray hair as if it was the funniest thing in the world. Amidst the Deviant Hunter’s giggling, the android was heard saying something along the lines of “big ass mood”, whatever that meant.

Josh shot Markus a look at the sight of Connor, silently glancing back and forth between the two.

 _So, what are we doing?_ Josh asked through a mental link.

Without even thinking, Markus decided to casually wave off the question and walk over to Connor, offering a smile.

“Connor!” Markus beamed. “Hello!”

Connor jolted and yelped, only to choke on the artificial saliva in his mouth, coughing to get it out. He rested his hand on the witch, only to trip on his own feet and stumble as he grasped it. He reached over in an attempt to save it from falling, but ultimately failed as he tripped on the cauldron and toppled over with the prop, his LED flashing red as he went down.

Markus bit his lip as he watched the disaster before him. He tried his hardest not to laugh, only for a loud chortle to reach his ears, coming from the human who Connor was with. (Markus identified him as Hank Anderson, unsurprisingly a police lieutenant.)

Connor’s face was a bright red as he let out a strange keening noise, burying his face into the fallen prop.

Markus was suddenly finding it hard to fear this man, considering the fact that even though he was built to be the most advanced prototype Cyberlife had ever made, he still managed to do something like this. It was almost endearing.

“Can I stay down here? Forever?” Came from Connor’s muffled voice, more to Mr. Anderson than himself.

“ _This_ is the Halloween shopping experience, kid.” Hank sniggered, covering his mouth. “Get up and suck it up.”

Connor begrudgingly sat up, a vaguely traumatized look on his tomato red face.

“This sucks. Humans suck.” Connor muttered, righting the prop and apologizing to a worker who was beginning to walk over.

“Believe me, I know.” Hank grinned.

“Rare to find a human who shares the sentiment.” Markus raised his eyebrows, a barely suppressed smirk on his face.

Connor blanched at the sound of his voice.

“Shit- uh, hi?” The android’s voice cracked as he rushed out an awkward greeting. “I realize I never replied and from what I learned, that’s incredibly rude according to the social protocol Cyberlife used to supply me with, so I apologize if I’ve come off as standoffish or rude because it was not my intention and I completely understand if I’ve made you feel-“

Hank stuck a hand in Connor’s face, cutting off his anxious ranting.

“Glad to see the moody teenager act is gone.”

“It’s a lifestyle, actually.” Connor corrected, fidgeting with his hands, surprisingly capable of sarcasm through his own obvious anxiety. “I’m just taking a short break. I assure you that it’ll be back after these messages.”

Markus snorted, catching a glimpse of Josh who seemed torn between pretending the situation never happened and getting a costume and going over to get involved with the shitfest. He chose the former, sending Markus a quick message about it and walking off.

“So, where’ve you been all these months?” Markus started, meeting Connor’s eyes.

Connor immediately looked away, focusing more on his shoulder.

“I’ve been here and there.” He attempted to sound casual to some degree, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“Are you really gonna lie to the android messiah?” Hank raised an eyebrow.

“I am a _grown ass man_ , I will lie to who I want to lie to.” Connor crossed his arms.

“Sure, buddy. Go check out the toys.” Hank teased, causing Connor’s glare to intensify. “He’s been moping around in my apartment and hogging my dog.”

“It’s not my fault he loves me more!” Connor argued.

“It’s because you pick him up all the time, I can’t do that shit.” Hank grumbled. “You spoil him too much.”  
“Sumo is a good boy and he deserves it.”

“What breed is he?” Markus asked, amused by the playful banter.

Hank started to talk, only for Connor to excitedly cut him off.

“He’s a Saint Bernard! They’re actually my second favorite breed next to Huskies, which I’m a bigger fan of because heterochromia is less of a rarity in them, it’s incredibly interesting. I’m a fan of the look in general myself” Connor rambled, a grin on his face. “Saint Bernards are a second because Sumo is such a sweet boy and because Saint Bernards are less of a ‘constant exercise’ kind of dog and more of a ‘sit and cuddle’ kind of dog, especially due to the lack of aggression they show and how calm they are. Saint Bernards are also known for rescuing travelers from the cold in the Alps-“

Connor paused, expression going blank for a second.

“Sumo needs a costume.”

Hank gave a gentle nod.

“There’s a Petsmart nearby, we can go there after we actually get a costume.” Hank slowly walked over to the costumes.

“I actually lost sight of what we were here for when I saw the witch, if I’m being honest.” Connor admitted. He tensed for a second and seemed to be deep in thought.

“Thank you for coming to say hello.” Connor said hesitantly. “I don’t get to interact with other androids a lot.”

“You could come to New Jericho.” Markus suggested.

Of course, Markus knew that most likely wouldn’t work out, considering Connor’s status as the former Deviant Hunter. He’d terrify a lot of androids, considering that they haven’t seen him knock over a display in the middle of a Halloween shop like Markus has.

“Thank you for the offer, but that wouldn’t be a good idea.” Connor gave a sheepish look. “As the former deviant hunter, I’m sure the residents wouldn’t appreciate that, not to mention the… incident during your speech.”

Depressingly, Markus had almost forgot that this was the same man that had pointed a gun to his head _after_ his deviation.

“That reminds me, is there an explanation for that?”

Connor twiddled his fingers.

“Yes, it was a temporary lapse of control.” Connor supplied. “I failed to consider that Cyberlife could take control at that moment, I apologize for endangering you and the rest of Jericho.”

Oh.

Markus had never considered that.

The majority of Jericho assumed that the conclusion could only be that Connor was still working for Cyberlife or that he wanted to forcefully gain control over the revolution. He never realized their theories might’ve been biased against Connor.

“There’s no need to apologize, you didn’t see it coming.” Markus offered a small smile. “It was nice seeing you.”

“You as well.”

Connor trotted over to Hank, pointing to a specific costume he spotted and smiling at the human.

What a peculiar character.

 

-

 

Connor carried the bag holding all of their costumes in his hand as he skipped to the front doorstep, twirling.

“It was Markus! Talking to me!” Connor beamed at Hank, tittering in his direction. “I thought he just hated me or something, I never thought he’d come up to _me_!”

“Ironic that you act like a fan when you freed thousands of androids yourself.” Hank smirked.

“The difference is that I’m the former Deviant Hunter and Markus was the leader of the android rebellion,” Connor’s smile faded slightly, only to come back full force. “and when I explained what happened during his speech, he didn’t even shun me for life!”

“Of course he didn’t.” Hank snorted. “Former deviant hunter or not, you have this weird, dorky charm to you, it’s unfair.”

Connor’s face heated up as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and slowed to a calm walk.

“Really? I thought I was kind of a mess.”

“You are. It’s just that it’s charming when it wants to be.”

Connor nodded and shot him finger guns, unsure of how to respond. He opened the door to reveal Sumo, who passively licked his leg as he walked in.

Of course, such a good boy couldn’t go without scritches. He tossed the bags and gave his baby boy pets, cooing at him.

“This is so sweet, Connor play Despacito.”

“How old is that song?” Connor questioned, kissing Sumo’s nose.

“Hell if I know. Can’t you look that shit up?”  
“I could if I so desired, I just don’t feel like it.”

“That’s entirely logical.” Hank said.

“Along with everything else I do” Connor rested his arm on Sumo. “So, are we letting him try on the costume yet?”

“We gotta at some point.” Hank appeared to already have the costume behind his back. “Sumo?”

The dog looked up at Hank, meeting his gaze for a second.

Hank held up a lobster costume in his right hand, smiling at the dog below him.

“Behold.”

“He’s just jumping with joy on the inside, I can see it in his eyes.” Connor observed.

Sumo sniffed at the lobster’s large eyes as they stared back at him.

“Come on, bud, let’s get you dressed.”

 

-

 

“… and then he just fucking tripped over the prop.” Josh animatedly retold Simon and North the story of what happened in the halloween shop, sniggering as he recalled it.

“As if.” North scoffed. “He’s the deviant hunter, Cyberlife’s most advanced prototype.”

“That’s what I thought too!” Markus gave her a crooked smile. “Then he started rambling to me about dogs and how he liked heterochromia in huskies. It was strangely endearing.”

“Isn’t this the same guy that pointed a gun at you?” Simon questioned. “On multiple occasions?”

“Yeah, but hear me out:” Markus started. “Now that he’s deviated, he seems kind of incapable of hurting anything. It wasn’t even him that pointed the gun at me the second time, it was all on Cyberlife that time, according to him.”

“I doubt it.” North rested her head on her hand. “Sounds like some sort of trick.”

“You say that because you haven’t seen him tumble over the props in a Halloween shop.” Markus chuckled. “Trust me: he’s harmless.”

 

-

 

Connor had been called many things in his short lifetime. He’s been gifted with the names “Deviant Hunter”, and “tin can”, and his all time favorite, “sassy piece of shit.”

One thing Connor had never been called is someone with bad taste. This is why he was tasked with being the one who ultimately decided on the costumes they’d wear.

Connor squatted in his crab costume, pressing his cloth claws together in Hank’s direction.

“Watch your back, grandpa,” Connor threatened halfheartedly, “lest you be faced with the claw.”

“Try me, bitch.” Hank pulled the top onto his Mr Krabs costume, causing Connor to start fucking cackling on sight.

It was truly uncanny, with very obvious eye holes underneath the oblong eyes and the figure of a misshapen beauty blender.

“I also happen to be armed.” Hank replied, kicking up his leg and holding up a claw of his own, only to stumble.

Connor walked over to Hank, still in his squat, eyes sharp and ready to strike.

Hank reached out to pick Connor up before he could fall victim to The Claw™, but it was too late. Connor had already captured the eye of his costume.

Hank fell dramatically, sitting down and flopping onto his side.

“He has fallen. Our oppressor is gone!” Connor held up his claw triumphantly. “Come on, Sumo, let’s steal his shit.” Connor turned away from the fallen crab.

“Wait, Connor!”  
“Yes, dad?”

“I… can’t get up.”

“This is so sad, Sumo play Take On Me.”

“You’re not funny, shut the fuck up and help me.”

“Got it.”

 

-

 

Jericho looked like a tacky mess. In celebration of the holiday, the place was decked out in dollar store halloween decorations that literally no one liked in an attempt to replicate human halloween parties. Everyone was dressed in different costumes as they found activities and party games around Jericho. News reporters scattered around as they took pictures of the church decorated in cheap decorations with badly made props and candy that none of the androids could eat, excluding Markus, as an advanced model with access to certain updates prior to the others. New Jericho was filled with both androids and humans as they enjoyed their Halloween.

Markus looked over his vampire costume in his office mirror once more, flapping the cape and grinning to show off the cheap plastic teeth in his mouth.

“You look fine, just go ahead and get out there.” North giggled at him, covering her mouth in her seat on his desk. She wore a short black dress, high heels, and cheaply made gray ears and called it her costume. (When asked to explain, the explanation she gave was, “I’m a mouse, duh!” and a barely concealed laugh. Whatever the joke was, Markus failed to see it.)

“What if they ask me a shit ton of questions about things that aren’t even related to Halloween?”

“The only solution is to kill them, dude.”

“I’m so glad I come to you for advice.” Markus glanced back from the mirror to look at her.

“I know, it’s because you should come to me by default.” North grabbed his hand and lead him outside of his office. “Now go socialize!”

North shoved him outside of his office.

“That’s rude.”

“Good.” North stuck her tongue out. “I’ve got people to talk to that aren’t worrying about interviews at a party, soo…”

“I hope the humans ask you about the murder hive mind.”

“By rA9, anything but that!”

“Nah, I’d rather you suffer.”

“Well, shit, I love you too then.” North gave a smile, fist bumping Markus as she went off to talk with her other friends.

Markus smiled back at her and walked off to find something, _anything_ to do.

He didn’t expect to bump into Hank and Connor as soon as he took a few steps.

 

-

 

When Hank told Connor they were going outside for Halloween, Connor assumed he meant Trick or Treating. Taking candy from strangers and sticking more shit in his mouth sounded like a lot more fun than going out into a poorly lit church filled with cheap decorations and people and food he’d probably get sick of eating after a couple minutes and people and reporters _and people!!_

Connor expressed this to Hank, only to be reminded that it probably wouldn’t be that crowded, considering that human reporters would probably chase off a lot of androids. This didn’t ease Connor’s constant anxiety whatsoever as he fiddled with his costume and flicked around his coin. He was reminded that he had to at least get used to being around more than small groups of people at come point, having come this fair in his journey to escape his suffocating social ineptitude. He’d have to face small crowds eventually.

Connor hated it, but he was right. He’d have to get through this eventually if he wanted to be able to go into a public place without tripping on _something_ during an attempt to hide his anxiety.

No matter how much he needed this, however, he knew he was fucked. Hank was gonna walk away for a second and Connor was going to lose his shit, start crying, explode, and _die_.

Hank assured him that was being ridiculous: Hank would never leave him in the crowd.

Hank was right about that, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the problem.

As soon as they entered Jericho, the androids quieted down. Most of the androids noticed him automatically and suddenly, his anxiety stopped screaming at him and instead escalated into kicking him in the gut.

Connor shrunk behind Hank, subconsciously shrinking in on himself and rubbing his arm.

He caught whispered gossip coming from other androids.

“What is he doing here?”, “Where has he been?”, “Isn’t that the Deviant Hunter? Who’s that with him?” and, “is the Deviant Hunter dressed as a crab?”

Hank drew in a breath, visibly stiffening even inside of the costume.

“Do they really care that much about your programming?” Hank put an arm around Connor’s shoulders. “A bunch of assholes, all of them.”

“It’s not just about my programming, I-“ Connor paused as he saw familiar faces in the crowd. The two Tracis from the Eden Club, gazing at him with true terror in their eyes.

He had to leave. He tried to move back to the entrance, only for reporters to cage him in, shoving cameras and microphones in his face and asking invasive questions about where he was and who he was and why he betrayed Markus and why he thought he could come back to New Jericho after his betrayal and it was all _too much!_

Connor was very obviously near tears and he was unable to do anything about it. He wondered if he was right about the exploding and dying part. That’d certainly be a lot better than breaking down in front of a camera and under hundreds of androids’ scrutinizing gazes.

Hank ushered him away from the reporters, politely telling them to fuck off and lead his son in the direction of the only place he could think to take him: Markus’ office. Connor’s breathing was shaky as he attempted to calm down, staying as close as he could to Hank without shoving himself into him.

“God, this fucking sucks.” Connor let out a watery laugh.

“Son, I’m so fuckin’ sorry about this, if I had known-“

“Don’t.” Connor rubbed at his eyes. “I-It’s fine. If i really wanted to, I could’ve just insisted that I was uncomfortable and we could’ve went trick or treating or something, it’s not your fault.”

“Still, I brought it up.”

“Dad?”  
“Yeah?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Hank snorted a laugh.

“That at least gives me some hop-“

Hank was cut off as he bumped into a familiar face.

“Markus, thank fuck.” Hank sighed, smiling at him. “Can you watch Connor for me? I wanna go get him some punch or something.”

“I’m not a child.” Connor sniffed. “You don’t have to watch me, I’ll be just fine.”

“Connor, you look like shit.” Markus blinked at the sniveling android. “Like hell I’m not gonna be there for you, you look like you need the support.”  
Hank put a hand on Markus’ shoulder.

“Thank you.” Hank said genuinely.

“Don’t worry about it, he’s my friend.”

Connor’s head spun. Markus? Friend? Android leader? Friend?? Guy who he tried to kill like, twice? Friend???

It’s not that Connor didn’t want to be closer with Markus. It’s that Markus honestly shouldn’t trust him. Not to say that Connor planned on shooting Markus anytime soon, it’s just that he was literally the deviant hunter and his entire mission was to sabotage the deviant revolution and Markus, what the fuck?

Connor wasn’t aware of anything around him as Markus lead him into his office.

“Care to explain what happened?” Markus questioned, settling down in the seat behind his desk.

“This seems like the beginning of a therapy session from a cartoon.” Connor sat down on the couch adjacent to the desk, ripping off the decorative claws. “It’s just the gossip from other androids, not much to worry about.”

“Which is why you were crying when you found me.”

“Exactly. You sure know what you’re talking about.”

Markus gave him an imperfect smile, leaning on his desk.  
“You know, if you want me to, I could clear your name with them.”  
“I’d rather them not notice my existence at all, honestly.” Connor sighed, closing his eyes as he laid down on the couch. “I guess that isn’t possible now, however.”

“Explaining the situation would be the only thing that could help, I can’t exactly make them forget you entirely.”

“I wish.” Connor huffed a laugh.

Hank walked back into the room with a small glass cup of punch with a pale blue tint.

“Drink up, kid.”

Connor sat up from his seat, taking the punch from Hank, absentmindedly rubbing at the glass as Hank sat down next to him

“Thanks, dad.”

“No problem, kid.” Hank gave him a subtle grin, looking down to cover it.

Markus looked at them in awe.

“You have a human father?”

Connor reddened at the question, rubbing at his arm.

“Yes, I do. I understand that it’s strange, but-“  
“So do I.” Markus smiled

Hank raised an eyebrow in Markus’ direction.

“I never heard about that.”

“It's why my name’s Markus Manfred. It's taken from Carl Manfred, my former owner.” Markus supplied.

“I just assumed you took up the name because it was the first one familiar to you” Hank’s eyes widened. “Never would’ve guessed.”

“I was just assigned to Hank as my partner during the deviancy cases.” Connor explained, kicking his feet. “According to Hank, I was shit at my job.”

“I assumed you were.” Markus gained an amused look on his face. “How’d those cases go?”

“Well, one of the cases was with an HK400 who killed his owner, he was never given a name…”

And so the rest of the night continued like that, with each of them telling stories instead of talking to the rest of the partygoers. With the way they were then, everything seemed alright the way it was.


	2. the gayer panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor buried his face into Sumo’s velvety fur, gently grasping at his soft pelt as he told his furry companion his life problems.
> 
> After weeks of endless pining, it appeared that the android wasn’t going to let go of Markus any time soon.
> 
> Sadly, he was all panic and no disco as he was left to suffer alone through his exasperating gay epiphany.
> 
> Connor, being very young in the android world, knew nothing about love minus what he heard in cheesy 2014 love songs. After experiencing it himself, he could confirm that love is absolute bullshit. He wasn’t sure he’d ever forgive Beyonce for telling such boldface lies. All he gained from her was the knowledge that 1+1=2, as if he couldn’t figure that out on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oopsy woopsy,,, i did a fucky wucky,, a wittle fucko boingo!! the second chapter to this seemed rushed to me! so i gamershotted the whole thing!! now its longer and a whole lot gayer!!  
> im sorry, but also you're welcome. it was either this, or me constantly complaining about it to everyone i talk to abt the story  
> theres a lot more to read now and a little more dad intervention

Everything was not alright the way it was.

It was a month and a half after the Halloween party and Markus was currently disastrously gay for Connor. The fact that he existed seemed to be Kamski’s take on his dream partner: Markus had always been a fan of strong jawlines, soft eyes, and even softer personalities. He wasn’t sure how the rich bastard did it, but it feels like something planned and it most definitely feels unfair.

Markus loved the way he smiled, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about an interest of his, the way he’d relax whenever Markus was around, the list goes on and on.

Connor was vibrant and lively, his person an electric blue hidden on a dull, gray canvas.

Keeping true to his model, Connor is a marvel, perfect in every way.

Minus all the times he’s fallen down the Jericho stairs. And that one time he accidentally toppled a display in a halloween shop. And that one time he called one of his former coworkers a cockshit, unbeknownst to him that said coworker was walking by him right as he said it.

Alright, to rephrase: Connor is divinely imperfect and that’s what Markus loved about him. His smile is shy and his disposition is diffident, but his bright personality managed to shine through despite his reserved nature.

Markus found himself wanting to see more.

His optical units were covetous, desperate to see the prototype’s endearing grin.

So he grabbed a pencil and a brush and made the outline of his new muse.

-

 

Connor buried his face into Sumo’s velvety fur, gently grasping at his soft pelt as he told his furry companion his life problems.

After weeks of endless pining, it appeared that the android wasn’t going to let go of Markus any time soon.

Sadly, he was all panic and no disco as he was left to suffer alone through his exasperating gay epiphany.

Connor, being very young in the android world, knew nothing about love minus what he heard in cheesy 2014 love songs. After experiencing it himself, he could confirm that love is absolute bullshit. He wasn’t sure he’d ever forgive Beyonce for telling such boldface lies. All he gained from her was the knowledge that 1+1=2, as if he couldn’t figure that out on his own.

Suddenly, the door began to creak as it slowly opened, causing Connor to jump as he gazed at it. Hank appeared in the doorway with a glare on his face and his hair in his eyes.

“Connor, can you turn off that old ass music?” Hank rasped, rubbing at his eyes and scowling. “God, it’s too early for this shit.”

“It’s never too early for Beyonce, take it back right now.”

Hank squinted, rubbing at his eyes yet again before sighing and letting his shoulders sag.

“Just… turn it down.” Hank exhaled, a his face betraying a mix between exasperation and total exhaustion. “I’ll make sure to judge you for this later, maybe just… when it’s not the asscrack of dawn. I’m goin’ back to sleep.”

“We have work tomorrow, this could ruin your sleep schedule.” Connor tilted his head, hoping he got his exasperation across.

“I know.” Hank turned and grasped the doorknob before the android could respond. “Night’, Con.”

Hank shut the door behind him and all Connor could hear were Hank’s footsteps and Crazy in Love.  
He made sure to turn up the Beyonce.

 

-

 

_electronic emissary > robo bitch_

_4:26 AM_

_electronic emissary: *i lean and dab my way into those mf dms*_

_electronic emissary: hhey bitch_

_robo bitch: this is why i always catch myself forgetting that you’re the android ambassador_

_electronic emissary: im actually at a meeting lmao_

_electronic emissary: im multitasking ;) im doing this, givin the public a half assed opinion, and playing the sims 10_

_robo bitch: rA9 i wish that were me_

_robo bitch: Wait, are you using up processing power on texting me?_

_robo bitch: smh you’d think that as a revolutionary leader, you’d make better decisions_

_electronic emissary: ik its time well spent_

_electronic emissary: im texting u to ask if you want to come over to carl’s house??_

_electronic emissary: i have free time aaand i got the idea of teaching you how to paint_

_electronic emissary: maybe we could cheat at arcade games or somethin after that, idk_

 

There was a pause. It’s been 2 minutes and Connor hasn’t responded. (That doesn’t sound like long to a human, but to an android, it’s about two hours, considering that text messages show up as a popup to their optical units and to ignore them, you have to turn them off manually.) Markus bit his lip, wanting so badly to tune out the droning voices of the politicians around him to focus on Connor.

Suddenly, he heard a beep.

 

_robo bitch: yeah!!! sure!!! soudns cool!!_

_robo bitch: i actually gotta go to work rn , i dont come back till 9. are you free then??_

 

Markus was unable to stifle his grin at the message, barely suppressing a giggle rivaling that of a schoolboy. He’s in!

“Mr. Manfred?” Michigan’s governor, Ben Diver raised an eyebrow, offering a vaguely disapproving look. “What exactly is so amusing about the economy of America crashing?”

Markus, like the value of the nation’s currency, deflated.

After having to incompetently explain his way out of that situation in a way that _didn’t_ reveal his hopeless infatuation, the android had learned his lesson about texting during meetings. Especially if the person he’s texting can make him grin without even trying.

 

electronic emissary: that’s fine, we can meet at 9:30?

robo bitch: see yuo then !!! :DD

 

Markus’ face heated up at the sight of the message, moving to discreetly cover his face with his hand.

It was official: This Cupid guy was officially on his shit list.

 

-

 

Connor stilled in the middle of the room as he processed the texts. He went over them again, and again, and then once more until he’d analyzed them 73 different times.

Hank seemed to notice that something was up, cautiously getting up from the couch and walking up to Connor with a hesitant look.

“Hey, Con, you good?” Hank questioned softly, worry evident on his face.

Connor’s LED spun blue as he glanced at Hank, his expression betraying pure euphoria.

“Never better.”

HIs new mission regulations flashed overhead.

 

**Prepare for the date(?).**

**\- Find an outfit.**

**\- Read preparatory fanfiction.**

**\- Listen to Beyonce.**

**\- Look up cheesy pick up lines.**

 

Connor gave a lopsided grin at the structure his mission gave him, rubbing his hands together as he connected to the Alexa. The Beyonce seemed incredibly important, not to mention that it was the easiest. Everyone wins.

After reading 239 romance novels, listening to 395 love songs, and looking at the summary of 403 romance movies, he considered himself an expert in date preparation and dates in general.(Of course, this wasn’t exactly a date. Not at all. It was just an outing between him and a cute, sweet, funny android messiah. No big deal, nothing gay about that.) Looking for some sort of motivation, he reviewed the ending of every moving, dying to skip to the happily ever after.

Romeo and Juliet sounded like a good choice. Just like Connor and Markus, it’s a love no one would accept; The deviant hunter and the deviant leader. Connor was qualified to get a job with the human police while Jericho openly despised both the police and Connor. It was against the will of the androids, against the will of the humans.

It was nothing but love.

Connor looked over the script with hope in his eyes, only to pause.

Didn’t 6 people die in Romeo and Juliet, including the love interests themselves?

Connor swiped the script away, looking for something more hopeful.

He’d skimmed the plots of about 24 musicals and 19 movies only to realize: all of these have conflict as the center of their plot. There’s always some sort of misunderstanding or heartbreak and from what he had seen, it didn’t always end well. Through further research, he learned that in a year, there was only a 6% chance of their relationship suffering from some sort of infidelity, (Assuming they’d even get together.) over a 10% chance that Markus wouldn’t trust him, which can kill relationships, and higher than a 40% chance that they would break up. Those statistics may be low, but as he said whilst fighting alongside Markus for his rights, “Statistically speaking, there’s always a chance for unlikely events to take place.”

A new mission guideline appeared in his vision, catching his attention.

 

**\- Prepare to get your poor little gay thirium pump broken into pieces.**

 

Connor slumped at the addition.

“Hank,” Connor muttered, tugging at the sleeves of his DPD hoodie. “I need help with something.”

“Lay it on me, kid.” Hank propped himself up against his couch, giving Connor his full attention.

“Can you, uh… c-can you help me pick out an outfit?” Connor fumbled over his words. “I’m going out tonight.”

Hank gave a grin, a playful look in his eyes.

“What, you got a date?”  
Connor didn’t respond.

“Holy shit.” Hank gaped at Connor, his shock on display. “Is it Markus?”

Connor’s face reddened as he nodded.

“Yeah, I got you, kid.” Hank walked into his room, closing the door and yelling a quick “One second!”.

Hank left the room with a large white button-up, a blue knit sweater, and skinny jeans in his arms.

“These are the clothes I used to wear in high school,” Hank explained. “might be too big, but it’s something other than that hoodie, at least.”

“I, uh- thanks, dad.” Connor gave Hank a shy smile, grabbing the clothes and placing them on the couch for later.

No matter how much Connor prepared, he knew he wouldn’t be ready to see Markus. Not with all of the awful possible outcomes he knew of. 

Connor followed Hank outside to his outdated vehicle, attempting to hide his apprehension.

“Alright, Con,” Hank buckled in, an unreadable expression on his face. “Let’s get this bread.”

Truly one of the wisest things Hank had ever said to him. After hearing his father’s intelligent words of motivation, Connor found himself slightly more prepared to obtain the grain.

This hope, however, was misplaced.

 

-

 

Markus straightened out his yellow cardigan with his free hand for the 26th time that day, blatantly ignoring the sniggering arising from Josh and North as he absentmindedly dusted the spotless area. Of course, this was not the first time Markus had been in love, as he was sure he was in love with North during the revolution. On the battlefield, he found that one smile from her could make everything alright again. The knowledge that she was alright was an upside in every battle. When Markus looked into her eyes, he truly learned what love was. They stood together and fought together, ready to sacrifice their lives both for the cause and for each other.

As it turns out, unless they were able to prove that they would die for one another, they didn’t get along well as a couple.

The fate of androidkind did not rely on the two of them reaching a fast solution and therefore their disagreements were drawn out. Their relationship was strained and all of the androids could feel it. Both seemed ready to snap at the sight of each other due to their inability to compromise whatsoever.

The both of them were opposite ends to two extremes and as it turns out, it’s hard to make that compatible in a relationship. As a result they broke it off and decided to stay friends instead of trying to salvage their dilapidated romance.

Markus _really_ regretted rushing into that relationship. He had little to no experience with flirting or dating or any sort of lasting romance that wasn’t formed amidst a revolution.

Markus was clueless; plain and simple.

Both North and Josh knew this. They knew this and they deliberately didn’t help whatsoever, regardless of how much experience they had. The only reason Simon wasn’t joining them was because Markus kept rejecting his messages.

It was at that moment that Markus began to consider investing in better friends.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying my suffering,” Markus snarked, avoiding eye contact as his face heated up. “You both are _such_ great help!”

“Happy to help, Mark!” North gave a mischievous grin, clapping him on the shoulder. “I gotta say, watching you fumble around with simple shit is amazing.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, eat my ass.” Markus rolled his eyes, swatting off her hand and going back to his mindless cleaning.

“I’m pretty sure that job belongs to Connor.” Josh hid his face behind the book he was reading. (Josh, who was working to become meta as hell, was reading “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”. In the words of Connor, “big mood”.)

Markus froze as his face warmed, numbers and calculations running through his head as he came up with 23 different ways to incapacitate Josh with a 83% chance of success. North was cackling in her seat atop the piano, prompting him to create a second target. Just before he could execute his plans, a loud ring sounded throughout the house.

Connor was here.

 

**-**

 

Connor fiddled with the collar of his sweater, biting his lip and hoping his anxiety didn’t show. He ran through the outcomes of the date(?) once more, an annoying habit that he was failing to shake. After coming home from his first day bay back at the precinct, he was already buried in anxiety. Pre-deviancy, Connor’s social modules made him relatively pleasant to be around. Awkward, yes, but still polite, even to those who disrespected him.

Post-deviancy, Connor fired back on impulse.

After getting Detective Reed lectured for having porn on his computer, (It seems Captain Fowler wasn’t very amused by “SEXY ANDROID BABES GETTING THAT DIGITAL DICK”.) calling Officer Brown a cockshit yet again, (This time, it was to his face!) and wishing serious injury on about 8 different officers, Connor had narrowed things down to two outcomes:

Either Connor was a piece of shit or humans were just aggravating by nature.

After reviewing his interactions with Detective Reed, he was leaning towards the latter.

The door suddenly opened amidst his worrying, catching him by surprise.

Instead of Markus, he was greeted by Josh, who looked him over with an impish grin decorating his face.

“Connor!” Josh smiled, gently clapping Connor’s shoulder. (Who tried his hardest not to flinch away.) “We were just leaving.”

“We?” Connor questioned, trying to inch away as subtly as possible. Of course, being an android, Josh noticed and settled for removing his hand.

As soon as Connor asked, North sprinted up behind Josh, jumping on his back and invoking a yelp from the latter android.

“Alright, fucker, let’s move it.” North patted his head twice and pointed ahead, looking down at Josh expectantly.

Connor gave Josh a look of pity which didn’t go unnoticed by North.

“Don’t worry, Connor, you’ll get your own ride with Markus.” North rested her head on top of Josh’s, passively gazing down at Connor with raised eyebrows.

Connor looked up at North with a faint blush on his cheeks. Well, North did look like she was having fun on Josh’s shoulders.

“I sure hope so!” Connor gave a smile he remembered his social module telling him was polite.

North appeared to choke for a second whilst Josh began to laugh. The reason for this, however, was unknown.

“I like this one!” North giggled as Josh began to walk away, both of them waving back at him. “See you ‘round, Connor!”

“I-uh, I’ll see you later!” Connor grinned, waving back. When he turned around, he was greeted by Markus, a smile tugging at the RK200’s lithe lips.

Connor’s thirium pump seemed to flutter as Markus greeted him, the latter android offering his hand to lead Connor through the house. Connor quickly accepted the offer, following Markus’ lead as they made idle conversation. Connor flatly told Markus about his first day back at the precinct, causing Markus to let out a small chuckle.

“Look at the bright side,” Markus’ lips twisted upwards in a breathtaking smile. “It’s not as bad as your first job.”  
Connor shuddered at the thought of it. Connor managed to get fired within the day over his first job. He had originally chosen to be a florist due to his love for flora of all kinds. He looked forward to taking care of them in his free time. When he went to work, however, he came to the realization that he had no clue how the fuck to take care of flowers. He knew what climate the flowers thrived in, he knew what times certain flowers bloomed in, he knew the scientific names for every single flower in that shop.

That, of course, didn’t stop him from killing over 75% of the flowers in the shop.

The owner of the establishment berated him, expressing that he was only hired because she believed androids were good at everything.

She underestimated Connor’s absolute incompetence.

“I think the people you work with being intolerable isn’t an obstacle, but an opportunity,” Markus continued, appearing deep in thought. “You told me that Lieutenant Anderson was a dipshit when you first met him, right?”

Connor gave a small nod, memories swimming around in his mind.

After an explanation from Hank, he now knew where he could stick his instructions.

Rude.

“Well, now you get the opportunity to change the minds of a couple more ignorant humans.” Markus opened the door to Carl’s studio, revealing a paint covered room, multiple covered canvases, and art supples sitting on a table next to the 3 uncovered canvases in the room.

Connor stared at the room in awe. So many supplies and he had no clue how to use any of them.

Markus let go of his hand as he walked further into the room. A heart wrenching loss, but alas, such is life.

The RK200 picked up an angular brush and a palette resting in front of a blank canvas, beckoning Connor towards him. Connor stood next to him, hesitantly gripping the brush and palette.

“Alright, uh, I’m kinda new to this, so… just bare with me,” Markus rubbed at his arm, a mousy smile gracing his lips. “Just… Do something for me. Close your eyes.”

Connor tilted his head, but obeyed, darkness obscuring his vision.

“Try to imagine something that doesn’t exist,” Markus prompted. “Something that you’ve never seen.”

Color began to decorate the canvas of Connor’s mind, pinks and blues and whisps of white forming a vague shape, of what, he didn’t know. He stayed silent as he took in the soft colors of his mind.

“Now let your hand drift across the canvas.”

His hand moved in precise strokes, making an image he could feel in the back of his mind, but couldn’t see beyond vague shapes. Hours felt like minutes as he painted, only for his hand to still.

He was done.

He opened his eyes and was astonished by what he saw.

 

-

 

Markus gaped at the beautiful picture before him. It was a drawing of both Markus and Connor, their hands joined together as they sat atop a wispy white cloud. The background was a pleasing mix of baby blues and pastel pinks that supplementing the magenta of Markus’ jacket and the navy blue of Connor’s sweater. The expression on their faces was nothing short of infatuation, both of them meeting the other’s gaze with soft smiles and even softer eyes. Connor’s sat in Markus’ lap, gazing up at Markus’ face which sat on his shoulder.

It was all Markus had wanted.

Connor appeared to freeze up as his eyes fluttered open, the palette falling from his hand as he stepped back.

“rA9, help me…” Markus muttered, an expression of pure awe in his eyes. “It’s amazing.”  
Connor avoided Markus’ gaze, his face going red as he struggled to process what he had done.

“It’s fine, Connor,” Markus gave a reassuring smile, fingering the zipper of his jacket. “I have something to show you.”

Connor was dumbstruck as he took slow steps in Markus’ direction towards a covered canvas, the former rubbing at the bottom of his sweater as he bit his lip. His eyes seemed unfocused as he followed Markus’ lead.

Markus slowly uncovered the canvas, placing the tarp on the table next to it.

Connor’s eyes widened as he took in the canvas, his gaze flickering between the picture and Markus. He stayed silent as he processed for exactly 55.024 seconds before he finally broke the silence.

“Holy shit.”

It was a detailed image of Connor with an endearing grin decorating his reddened face. His head rested in his hand as he observed something in the distance. Behind him was a starry night sky contrasting the light purple Connor wore. His LED was spinning blue with a flicker of pink in the midst of it.

Connor’s LED spun yellow as he observed, astonished at the sight of the image.

“Markus…” Connor started, his expression indecipherable. “I think… I love it.”

Markus huffed in amusement, ogling Connor with a smile.

“I hoped you would.”

Markus took a step towards Connor, catching the prototype’s attention.

“I’m a fan of it myself.”

Connor gaped up at Markus, clearly noting his close proximity with contentment.

“I think I want to kiss you?” Connor made it sound like a question, seeming unsure of it himself. He then stiffened as he realized what he had said. “Never mind, it was… a dumb thing to say, you don’t have to-“

Markus cut him off by capturing his lips in a chaste kiss.

“The sentiment was shared, believe me.”

Connor gave a timid smile, looking at his shoes and grasping Markus’ hand.

“I believe I remember asking you about cheating at arcade games?” Markus offered. “You still up for that?”

Connor met his gaze with a bright smile, giving a short nod.

“Lead the way.”

 

-

 

“‘Deviant Leader Caught Locking Lips With the Deviant Hunter’,” Simon read aloud from the doorframe of Markus’ office from an article he found online, raising an eyebrow at Markus and Connor who sat next to each other on the desk. “Care to explain?”

“They’re clones,” Connor lied. “Absolute frauds.”  
“You heard the man.” Markus said. “I myself am also a witness.”

“Clones of the original model Kamski made and Cyberlife’s personal prototype, which has no known matching models.” Simon’s eyebrow could not raise any further.

“Yep, now you’ve got it.” Markus nodded at Simon, resting his head on Connor’s shoulder, who in turn kissed his forehead.

“I come here to get a confirmation and instead I get disgusted. Nice.” Simon turned back where he came from and left, shutting the door behind him. “If you touch dicks in there, I’ll know! I’m not sitting on a desk with dick traces on it!”

“Who’s gonna tell him it’s plastic?” Connor whispered.

“No one, let him live in peace.”

“So, are we planning on ignoring the press entirely?” Connor muttered. “Because that sounds like the only thing that won’t result in my death.”

“Tell the press to suck your dick, it works every time.”

“Have you done it before?”

“No. It’s a goal though.”

Connor laughed and kissed Markus, his boyfriend on the cheek. He’d honestly be willing to go through with that idea if it meant more moments like this.

It was moments like these where he had time to look back at their reconciliation and remember why Halloween was his favorite holiday.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> deleted scenes:
> 
> markus: hey babe,, happy one year  
> connor:  
> connor:  
> connor: im 27  
> hank, in tears: they grow up so fast

**Author's Note:**

> wow, look at my boys, bein all happy  
> -  
> i plan to make this a series! connor is goign to have FRIENDS if it is the LAST THING I DO. if i go through with it, that'll be the focus.


End file.
